Identifying environmental characteristics that define the ecological niche of a species is essential to understanding how changes in physical conditions might affect its distribution and other aspects of its ecology. The present study used satellite relay data loggers (SRDLs) to study habitat use by Northeast Atlantic hooded seals (N = 20; 9 adult females, 3 adult males, and 8 juveniles). Three ...

The parasitic vines of the genus Cuscuta form haustoria that grow into other plants and connect with their vascular system, thus allowing the parasite to feed on its host. A major obstacle that meets the infection organ as it penetrates the host tissue is the rigid plant cell wall. In the present study, we examined the activity of xyloglucan endotransglucosylases/hydrolases (XTHs) during the ...

The diving behaviour of adult Atlantic salmon Salmo salar L. post-spawners in the Norwegian and Barents Seas was monitored with pop-up satellite archival tags (PSATs) and data storage tags (DSTs). Salmon from the 3 studied populations showed similar depth use patterns: tagged specimens spent most of their time near the surface (mean of 82% of the time at depths <10 m), with occasional short deep ...

Abstract In this study I ask if farm management have such large effects on sheep (Ovis aries) production that climatic studies could be improved by taking it into account. The relative effects of climate and farm management on autumn live weights of lamb were studied in Troms, northern Norway. A mixed method approach was used, including analyses of multiple databases, as well as qualitative, ...

Based on earlier migration studies of lake-dwelling anadromous Arctic charr Salvelinus alpinus (L.) and sea trout Salmo trutta L. in northern Norway, both species are believed to solely overwinter in fresh water and spend only one to three months in the sea during summer. This is an assumption upon which all current management of the species in the area is based, although no studies have focused on ...

Ocean acidification is the increase in seawater pCO2 due to the uptake of atmospheric anthropogenic CO2, with the largest changes predicted to occur in the Arctic seas. For some marine organisms, this change in pCO2, and associated decrease in pH, represents a climate change-related stressor. In this study, we investigated the gene expression patterns of nauplii of the Arctic copepod Calanus glacialis ...

During the Norwegian young sea ICE expedition (N-ICE2015) from January to June 2015 the pack ice in the Arctic Ocean north of Svalbard was studied during four drifts between 83° and 80°N. This pack ice consisted of a mix of second year, fi rst year, and young ice. The physical properties and ice algal community composition was investigated in the three different ice types during the ...

I used a theoretical model with different predatory preference relationships but with no direct competition. Simulated time series were statistically analysed to evaluate changes in rodent dynamics, with respect to periodicity, synchrony, amplitude and symmetry. The study found that shared predation could mediate a relationship between the two rodents to some extent. Periodicity increased on average ...

Researchers and wildlife managers strive for low bias and high precision (i.e. high accuracy) when estimating animal population sizes. Distance sampling is currently one of the most widely used monitoring methods. However, it relies on strict sampling designs and modeling assumptions that can be difficult to meet in the field. Here, we use data from two sub-populations of non-migratory wild Svalbard ...

Human brucellosis remains the commonest zoonotic disease worldwide with more than 500 000 new cases annually. Understanding the biology of Brucella infections and the transmission patterns at the wildlife/livestock/human interface is of paramount importance before implementing any brucellosis control or eradication program in animals, even more so should interventions be justified within One ...